Adjustable slide for punch presses



April 23, 1940. R. A. FREEMAN a ADJUSTABLE SLIDE FOR PUNCH PRESSES Filed April 22, 1939 n m m o m mm nu V $=l w .1 m 8 & 2 R W 2 w .2 8 7 a 3 a Patented Apr. 23, 1940 UNITED STATES ADJUSTABLE SLIDE FOR PUNCH PRESSES Raymond A. Freeman, Hudson, N. -Y., assig'nor to V. & 0. Press Company, Inc., Hudson, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application Apr-i122,

' 9 Claims.

This invention relates to punch presses and more particularly to improved means to adjust the slide of punch presses to vary the distance between the bottom of the punch and the top of the die including means to indicate the amount of such adjustment.

In most instances punch presses are equipped with means to adjust the slide relatively to the die supporting bed to vary the distance between the punch and the die but no provision has been made to determine the amount of such adjustment other than by the method of setting the adjustment and then trying it by actual operation of the press on the work. This is both time consuming and wasteful of products, and therefore itis contemplated, as one object 01 this invention, to improve the slide adjusting means of punch presses by the inclusion in their structure of means to determine, and also to indicate, the

amount of such adjustment.

Another object is to provide in a punchpress an adjustable slide having means operable thereby, as it is adjusted, to indicate the amount of such adjustment.

Still another object is to provide an improved slide adjusting device having means to measure and indicate the amount the slide is adjusted and which is adapted to indicate when the limit of slide adjustment is reached.

A further object of this invention is to provide in a punch press an improved adjustable slide which will be relatively inexpensive to manufacture, simple in construction, compact, of pleasing appearance, and very efllcient and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, there has been illustrated in the accompanying drawing,' one form in which the invention may be con- F veniently embodied in practice.

In the drawing, wherein like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a front view of a punch press of relatively simple form in the structure of which 5 the features and principles of this invention are embodied;

Figure 2 is an enlarged broken sectional view of the slide and pitman of a punch press, with the improved adjusting means for the slide, taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged broken front view of the parts shown in Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a partially sectioned broken side view of a somewhat modified form of the invention.

1939, Serial No. 269,495

Punch presses to which this invention particularly relate generally comprise a frame II having a die block holding bed I2 and slide supporting uprights I3 and I4, in which a slide Iii is adapted to be reciprocated. A flywheel It, usually connected to a source of power either by direct connection or through a belt, is adapted to rotate an eccentric, or crank shaft H, which acts on a pitman I8 toreciprocate it. The pitman I8 is usually connected to the slide I5 in such m a manner that its reciprocating movement is transmitted thereto and that the slide I5 may be adjusted relatively thereto to vary the distance between a punch I9, carried by the slide I5, and a die 2|, seated on the bed I2.

The means to adjust the slide, as herein shown, comprises a pitman screw 22 having a threaded shank 23 which is adapted to be screw threaded into a threaded opening 24 provided in the pitman I8 and clamped in position by bolts 25, the 20 pitman I8, in this instance, being split as at 26, for this purpose. A cylindrical portion 21 having wrench rod holes 28 therein, is provided below the threaded shank 23, and a ball-shaped head 29 extends downwardly from the portion 21 to 25 be received and held in a spherical-shaped socket 3| provided in a forwardly protruding portion 32 of the slide I5;

In order to determine and to indicate the amount of adjustment of the slide l5 relatively to the pitman I8 whereby the distance between the punch press I8 and the die is varied, and to measure the amount of such variation in distance between the punch I9 and the die 2|, co-

operating indicating means is provided between the pitman I8 and a part movable with the slide I5, in this instance, the pitman screw 22. The indicating means for the above purpose is herein shown as comprising a collar 33, which is either formed integral with the pitman screw 22 as an upward extension thereof, or is separate and secured thereto as shown, by shrinking or drivefitting it thereon, and a bar, or pointer, 34 mounted on, and, as shown, adapted for sliding movement axially of, the pitman I8. In some instances, the bar, or pointer, 34 'may be attached to the pitman to be stationary and not slide relatively thereto.

The collar 33 has a series of spaced apart indicating marks 35 provided on its periphery the Q spacing of which is proportional to the degree of rotation given the pitman screw 22 by a wrench rod inserted in the holes 28. The lower end of the bar, or pointer 34, is arranged to. slightly overlap the collar 33 and spaced apart indicating l marks 33 are provided thereon, the spacing of which are such as to permit micrometer readings to be taken by comparing these marks 33 and the marks 35 on the collar 33. The bar, or pointer, 34 is also provided with spaced apart indicating marks 31 along one of its edges. preferably spaced proportional to decimals of an inch, to indicate .the amount of relative movement between it and,

this purpose and by a collar head screw 4i which.

passes through a lengthwise slot 42 formed in the bar 34. A stop pin 43 is provided in the upper end of the bar 34 and is adapted to engage the collar head 44 of the screw 4| to limit the downward movement of the bar 34. The pin 43 is so disposed that as it engages the head 44 it will cause a separation of the lower end of the bar 34 from the collar 33 and thereby indicate that the limit of adjustment of the pitman screw 22 in the pitman [3 has been reached. A spring 45 may be provided to constantly urge the bar 34 against the collar 33, as indicated in Figure 2, or a positive connection between the collar 33 and the bar may be provided as shown in Figure 4. In the form shown in Figure 4, the bar 50 is provided with a tongue ii at its lower end which rests in an annular slot 52 provided in the collar 53 whereby a positive action of the bar 50 will be assured.

When it is desiredto adjust the distance between the'punch l9 and the die 2|, the clamp bolts are loosened and the pitman screw 22 is rotated by a wrench rod inserted in the holes 28 therein.- The rough amount of such adjustment is observed by comparison of the marks 31 on the side of the bar 34 with the mark 38 on the pitman l3. The finer amount of such adjustment is observed by comparison of the marks 35 on the collar 33 with the marks 33 on .the

lower end of the bar 34. Due to the relative proportion of these marks with respect to the pitch of the threads on the threaded shank 23 of the pitman screw 22, actual readings in decimals of an inch are possible and accurate adjustments may be made. After once observing and record- ,ing such readings for a given class of work the adjustment may again be made for this class .01 work in a minimum of time thus resulting in the saving of time and labor.

While there have been-shown and described herein two forms in which this invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited thereto but may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit and essential attributes thereof. It is therefore desired that the present embodiments be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and it will be further understood that each andevery novel feature and combination thereof, present in or possessed by, the

device herein disclosed, forms a part of the invention included in this application.

What is claimed as new and for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent, is:

1. In a punch press, a reciprocable pitman, a

reciprocable slide, means to adjust said slide axially relatively to said pitman, and means to measand'a member slidably mounted on said pitman and resting on said slide carried member to move it therewith, said slidable member 'having indicating marks for comparison with a mark on said pitman and marks for comparison with marks on said slide carried member.

2. In a punch press, a reciprocable pitman, a

reciprocable slide, an adjustable member to connect said pitman and said slide, and means to measure the amount of adjusting movement of said member including a plurality of marks on said member and a part slidably mounted on said pitman to move with said member as it is adjusted and having a plurality of marks comparative with the marks on said member to determine the amount of such movement, said part having a plurality of marks for comparison with a mark on said pitman. I Y

3. In a punch press, a reciprocable pitman, a

reciprocable slide, a member rotatable upon a vertical axis for axially adjustabl'y connecting said pitman and said slide, a plurality of marks .on said rotatable member, a part mounted to ure the amount of such adjustment including a member carried by, and movable with, said slide slide axially with respect to said pitman and engaging to move axially with, said member, marks on said part comparative with the marks on said member to indicate the amount of rotative movement of said member, and said part having other marks comparative with a mark on said pitman to indicate the amount of axial movement of said member.

I 4. In a punch press, the combination of a reciprocable pitman, a reciprocable slide, a pitman screw adjustably connecting said slide to said pitman, indicating marks disposed peripherally about said pitman screw, a member slidably mounted for axial movement on said pitman and having a mark on its end for comparison with the marks about said pitman screw to indicate the amount of rotation of said screw, said pitman having a mark thereon, and marks on said member for comparison with the mark on said pitman to indicate axial movement of said member and of said pitman screw.

5. In a punch press, a slide, a pitman, meansto connect said slide and said pitman and adjust them toward and away from each other, an upwardly facing shoulder on said means, a member slidably moimted on said pitman and resting on said shoulder to move relatively to said pitman when the aforesaid adjustment is made, and co-operatingmarks on said member and said pitman to indicate the amount of such adiustment.

6. In a punch press, a slide, a pitman, means to connect said slide and said pitman and adjust them toward and away from each other, an upwardly facing shoulder on said means, a member slidably mounted on said pitman and resting on said shoulder to move relatively to said pitman when the aforesaid adjustment is made, cooperating marks on said member and said pit- .man to indicate the amount of such adjustment,

' means to connect said slide and said-pitman and adjust them toward and away from each other, an upwardly facing shoulder on said means, a

-member slidably mounted on said pitman and u resting on said shoulder to move relatively to said pitman when the aforesaid adjustment is made, cooperating marks on said member and said pitman to indicate the amount 01' such adjustment, and cooperating marks on said means and said member to indicate the amount of rotative movement of said means.

8. In a punch press, a slide, a pitman, rotatable means to connect said slide and said pitman and adJust them toward and away from each other, an upwardly facing shoulder on said means, a member slidably mounted on said pitman and resting on said shoulder to move relatively to said pitman when the aforesaid adjustment is made, cooperating marks on said member and said pitman to indicate the amount oi such adjustment, cooperating marks on said means and said member to indicate the amount of rotative movement of said means, and means to limit the sliding movement of said member to indicate the limit of the adjustment between said slide and said pitman.

9. In a punch press, a reciprocable pitman, a reciprocable slide, a. pitman screw rotatably mounted to said slide and screw threaded into said pitman to adjust said slide axially with respect to said pitman when rotated, indicating marks on the periphery of said screw, a pointer on said pitman and adapted to cooperate with said marks to indicate the, amount of adjustment between said slide and said pitman and to indioate the limit of such adjustment.

RAYMOND A. FREEMAN. 

